Ivory Tower
by VesperChan
Summary: He has a secret that nobody else knew about… that secret is me.” Sakura is stolen away from her squad and locked away with the most unlikely person as her captor. Will she run away from this fate or embrace it?


My Ivory Tower

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_I want to feel the warmth on my face,  
light-in darkness,  
lift me up from here.  
Give me you wings,  
to flee from my ivory tower._

_-_

_"He has a secret that nobody else knew about… that secret is me."_

_-_

She scowled at the beautiful open, blue sky before her while brushing a wispy pastel pink lock out of her line of vision with mild annoyance, not bothering to lift her hand, once again as it stubbornly fell back into it's original place. Her glistening emerald green orbs watched a pair of love birds fly away with no cage to restrain them and their freedom.

Her eyes narrowed in detestation as her fists balled themselves so tight that they began to turn white. "Breath, just breath Sakura." She begrudgingly told herself trying to calm her rising anger.

Her eyes lost their hard shine and seemed to shine in a more sorrowful light as she watched the love birds dance on the air around them joyfully with now bars to restrain them. Letting her shoulders slum downward she stepped away from the large glass window that was so clean and clear it looked like it wasn't even there.

She dragged her defeated body over to the mass of elegant and expensive looking floor pillows and let it collapse into the fluffy pile that kept her from sitting in discomfort, as her slender frame descending it it's embrace.

She smoothed out a few wrinkles in her long white dress that rippled down to her ankles in a elegant flourish she had come to detest most passionately. It hugged it's self close to her body tightly at the top with it's pearl like straps that hung over her shoulders lazily doing little to keep it up. It was a beautiful thing that many girls would swoon at if they ever saw but Sakura hated it.

Why the petal haired female hated such a pretty thing was a simple question with a simple answer. She hated it because he liked it.

He; the one that separated her from her squad and locked her away in this ivory tower that neutralized her chakra coils to the point of extermination. She was an amazing Kunoichi for her age surpassing her sensei, the Hokage of her village in every skill so far aside from drinking but, without her chakra she was pretty much defenseless.

She was weak trapped and miserable all because of him. The man who captured her and locked her away to be his cute submissive little pet. She sneered at the though remembering him expecting to roll over and sit like a submissive puppy.

Like Sakura Haruno would ever do that to the enemy. That was an area she prided herself in. She was a unbreakable chamber of secrets when it came to interrogation. Even Ibiki was unable to make her budge on anything in her training's tests.

She leaned further back into her ocean of dark red and gold colored pillows letting her head gently rest a top one. Normally she would have been board out of her mind if she was in any other situation but now…she just couldn't keep her mind straight for two seconds to do anything other than sit back and relax.

"I wonder how everyone is doing without me. How long has it been two, seven, eleven months? I've lost all concept of time here." She sighed in a depressed tone gazing out at her surrounds once again.

Her bed was positioned diagonally on the far corner of the room elevated only a few inches off the floor with a fairy like canopy shading it in a light orange color also littered with a mass of pillows put there for her comfort.

Against the opposite wall was a dark red colored desk and a few bookshelves filled with books she was unable to read due to her lack of concentration.

"He is slowly driving me insane isn't he? The bastard. If he thinks I can break so easily he has another thing coming to him." She hissed with venom in her words.

Feeling annoyed she glared up at her large window and at the warm rays of summer sunshine streaming into her roomy prison. The light from the two o clock sun shone in her eyes and she had to look away to avoid going blind. How silly that a thing like sunshine, so peaceful and warm, could cause so much pain and unwanted suffering if viewed at directly.

Her ears pricked with the echo of footsteps approaching her room. "Speaking of sunshine and unwanted suffering here comes the cheery devil himself."

The solid wall rippled creating a opening allowing a tall man clothed in a black cloaked dotted with red clouds to enter carrying a tray in his hands.

"Ohayo princess chan! You look so Kawaii this morning. I brought up your breakfast for you since you most be hungry. Look I got you your favorites, cinnamon apple muffin and strawberry filled pastries!" The tall man masked in a orange mask chirped happily skipping into her room, setting the tray down on a lap table by her knees.

Sakura merely grunted turning away with a dark scowl resting on her healthy pink colored lips refusing to reply or even look at the man sitting next to her with a cherry disposition. She didn't even bother to point out ho it was two o clock in the afternoon and way past morning time or even breakfast time.

Okay so he wasn't the most brutal of captors but at times she could feel a dark aura around him and his hidden gaze traveling up and down her body in a chocking possessive stare she could feel.

"Princess chan isn't talking?" The orange masked man complained with a whiny voice as he scooted closer to where she was sitting.

Sakura pulled her legs up to her chin and buried her head in the small cleft letting her pastel pink locks curtain her existence. She didn't like talking to him because she knew he would enjoy it.

"Aw, Is Princess chan man at Tobi?" He asked in that same whiny tone crawling up behind her. "Please don't be mad at Tobi Princess chan. Tobi can give you anything you ever wanted. Tobi is a good boy like that."

No he couldn't. She knew so and he knew so as well but she couldn't help but say it.

"I want my freedom!" Sakura snapped flinging her head back and glaring at the other human, at least she thought him human, sitting next to her. She hadn't meant to speak out but she had a hard time controlling her anger when it came to this guy.

"But if Tobi gives his cherry blossom freedom Princess chan will run away from Tobi and then Tobi will be alone again." The man explained wrapping his arms around her abdomen and pulling her up onto his lap.

"Tough luck bastard." For some reason Sakura felt like talking all of a sudden. "Let me go."

"But Tobi doesn't want to." He chirped like a young child.

"Then I'll say it again. Tough luck bastard." Sakura hissed repeating her earlier words while trying to squirm out of his possessive hold.

"Aw, is princess chan angry at Tobi? She shouldn't be using such language at her master." Tobi cooed childishly pulled her farther back into his grasp as he nuzzled his masked chin against the back of her shoulder. Something he knew she hated for him to do.

"Stop calling me that and stop talking about yourself in third person. It's so annoying." Sakura growled giving up on her goal to escape his grasp deeming it impossible without chakra. How she hated being weak.

"But that is what Princess chan is and Tobi likes calling princess chan, princess chan and Tobi, Tobi."

Sakura rolled her eyes and deemed the conversation unworthy of continuing and switched tactics. "Let me go I want to eat something," she grumbled trying to get away from where she was.

"Ah, so princess chan will eat Tobi's home cooking?" He asked excitably letting her escape his possessive hold and crawl off his lap.

"I would rather eat rat poison but this is all there is so I guess I have to if I don't want to starve." Sakura replied with a dead tone picking up a pastry and lifting it to her mouth.

"But Princess chan is still going to eat it?" Tobi asked still hopeful and not at al offended by his prisoner's harsh, hateful words.

"You are annoying." She mumbled before took the first bite.

She didn't want to, she really didn't want to but it was two in the afternoon and she was starving for something, anything, to eat. She could practically feel him smiling a stupid goofy smile at her just like the stupid goofy way he talked to her and most likely everyone else.

She glanced back at him and frowned when she saw he was still looking in her direction, or at least she though he was looking in her direction. She couldn't really tell where he was looking with that mask of his keeping from seeing where his eyes rested.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked after finishing her pastry and getting annoyed by the way he would just stare at her, or I her direction for the entire time.

"Tobi is looking at princess chan!" The orange masked man chirped in a happy tone oblivious to the sour tone in her voice.

"No I mean what are you doing here? What is your reason for keeping me locked up here, for keeping me alive. I know you are your partner killed the rest of my squad off so why do you keep feeding me instead of letting me die."

All Tobi did was stare at her intently without looking away. His reply was only silence most likely meant to irritate her further.

"I mean, isn't the whole reason you kept me alive for information? That's almost always the case with captors and their prisoners yet you haven't asked me one single question! What's the whole point of keeping me alive? Why can't you just kill me already and end my discomfort here?" Sakura continued with a flushed face from shouting so much.

Tobi still didn't say anything and Sakura began to thin that the man in a orange mask had fallen asleep. But, like everything else, she was proved wrong when he began to speak. "…But Tobi likes keeping Princess chan here? Princess chan makes Tobi happy. Isn't princess chan happy?"

Sakura frowned and glared hard at him and that was all the answer Tobi needed for his question.

"Tobi can give princess chan anything to make her happy. You can tell Tobi what you want and Tobi will try to get it for you."

The petal haired girl's dark look softened from meaning to just plain cold and emotionless before her lips parted in the utterance of her reply. "No you can't Tobi, and we both know that."

Tobi looked down saddened and Sakura could almost imagine the hurt look on his face. She almost, somewhere real deep inside her, felt sorry for the guy and regretted saving something so harsh. Maybe she should have been a bit kinder and not said it with such a look.

After all he had kept her alive all this time instead of killing her and he had kept her in this fancy room, making sure it was comfortable for her. And then he had made her breakfast numerous times, even though they were mostly closer to lunch and dinner. And he had gone way out of his way to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, even though he messed up most of the time.

Maybe she was being a bit too harsh with him.

"Hey Tobi…" She began to say in a kinder tone hoping to apologize for her earlier words when his headshot up and he laughed childishly surprising her.

"Okay princess chan. Tobi is going to go now. See you tomorrow!" He chirped before getting up and quickly making his way out.

-

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The next morning Sakura was only half awake when she heard the familiar echo of her wall opening up from the outside and the heavy footsteps of her daily intruder make their way over to her day bed, where she had fallen asleep last night. It had bee a restless night and she hadn't gotten all tat much sleep so she was still tired.

"Tobi…?" She mumbled sitting up a bit and rubbing the sleepiness out of her emerald colored eyes with a groggy voice. She was a bit surprised her captor was here so early in the morning. He almost always came later in the day to see her and she thought for sure after what she said to hi yesterday that he wouldn't want to see her so early in the day.

Her vision was growing less blurry by the second but it were still to hazy to make out any great detail concerning the tall dark man advancing towards her with a steady pace. This was the reason why she didn't gasp out in surprise when she first saw him enter her room. She did, however gasp out in surprise when he was right in front of her, every detail as clear as day.

Sakura's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and shock as she backed up a bit in her bed and tried to say something to the man who was still advancing upon her. "T-Tobi you…your mask, it's…"

"Gone?" He finished in a husky chuckle climbing onto her bed and sitting down in front of her, blocking out the sunshine and covering the trembling petal haired girl in his overpowering shadow. "Yeah…I decided to leave it behind today.

Sakura's heart nearly stopped when the velvety smooth tone of his voice reached her ears. It was so much deeper and so much more husky than the high joyful pitch she was used to hearing from the man. It was… dark. Darker than she ever thought he could be.

"What…happened…t-to you?" She stuttered kicking herself mentally for appearing so weak in his eyes just at the sound of his voice and the sight of his face. His oh so gorgeous flawless face mind you.

The edge of his lips quirked up in a sexy smirk that made her heart a few beats at the similarity it held to one she used to know and love.

His dark coal black eyes shined in a dark devious shine as his body leaned forward positioning his face less than two inches away from her own. His eyes seemed to be laughing at her flushed face and quivering lips as they captivated her within their mesmerizing hold.

"What do you mean Sa-ka-ra? Nothing happened to me. This has always been the real me, the me behind the mask. The me I don't let anyone see." He huskily whispered moving his lips over to her left ear and breathing happily over it. He smiled seeing her visibly shiver under the treatment.

"No, no….no! Tobi…no get away!" Sakura cried pushing the male away and jumping off the bed and running into a corner where she braced herself with trembling fists. Her Chakra may be gone but she would be dammed before she let him take her like that. "Stay away from me!"

Tobi looked up from his pushed over position with confused eyes lined with the shock of rejection. Wasn't this what she wanted? Wasn't this what she saw in the Uchiha that broke her heart.

His confusion turned to anger, as he clenched his fists at his side and growled darkly to himself. Why did God have to hate him so much. Why was it, after so many years of life on this earth he finally found someone who had stolen his cold black heart, the one that he though was incapable of being stolen away…why, after he found her, was he unable to have her? Why couldn't he make her see how much he wanted her, no- needed her? Why did she have to be the one woman in the universe that couldn't be won over by charm, looks, wealth or the promise of power.

His chest contracted painfully and he clutched the black fabric of his cloak above his heart with a silent gasp as his anger melted into sadness. He had never felt this way in all his years of life, he never felt like there was someone out there that he could care for above himself. He would give anything for her to feel the way he felt about her towards himself.

"Sakura…" He quietly called reaching a hand out in her direction despite the distance of a whole room separating the two.

"No! Don't touch me!" She screeched falling backwards from the effort of crying out so loud.

A pair of tear droplets were clinging to the netting of her long dark lashes, refusing to fall. It was clear to him now, why she was so scared and hard against the thought of love. She had been denied and hurt before by someone else, the young Uchiha boy. She had once been open and free with her heart but after having it broken and stepped on so much she had become unwilling to open it up to the world. She didn't want to hae her heart broken again.

The dark haired man felt like crying his heart was killing him so much. Why was he so unable to make her see that he wasn't like that, that he wouldn't break her heart?

"Sakura I'm not like that!" He exclaimed getting up and taking a steep towards her with softened eyes and a softer voice.

Upon hearing her voice Sakura broke down and cried into cupped hands, not caring if the unmasked man was no right in front of her, stoking her shoulders softly with a reassuring smile.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" She murmured not bothering to look up at his exposed face.

"I wish I could, honestly, but I just can't go against my heart. Sakura you asked why I didn't kill you and why I kept you alive and now I'm giving you the answer…" He replied wrapping his arms around her small body and dragged her onto his lap. His voice seemed tired and almost sad as he buried his head in the back of her hair.

"…What is it? What's the answer? " Sakura asked after a long pause of silence where it felt like he was having trouble saying what he wanted to say.

"…I love you Sakura chan." He breathed softly in her ear. This time he didn't send shivers down her spine from the tone of his voice but from the sincerity of his words.

"I've been told that before." She replied a bit bitterly, memories of past events resurfacing and making her choke on her tears.

Right now there was nothing the tall Uchiha wanted more than to erase to existence of the man who caused his cherry blossom so much grief. Her happiness meant more to him than his own ten times over.

He looked up at the blank wall where he had entered through and sighted hugging the petite pink haired girl close to his chest one more time. He loved her and he wanted her happy, even if it meant the emotional death of him.

Sakura looked up when she heard the dull echo of her wall opening up to the outside world ring in her ears. Looking up she saw her captor was looking even more sorrowful now than before and wondered why.

"Tobi…what's-"

"Go."

"Huh?" She asked confused as to why she was interrupted in the first place. If she didn't know better she would have guessed he was giving her back her freedom.

"Go, go now and leave me. I'm giving you your freedom." He replied closing his eyes and looking away.

His chest constricted painfully again and he inwardly winced at the pain his heart was going through. He loved her and wanted her happiness above his own. If what she wanted more than anything else was her freedom he would give it to her. He would give her anything to make her happy.

He felt the weight of her body lift up off his lap and felt her small petite body leave his arms. His heart exploded in his chest with pain and his arm reacted upon reflexes and reached out to grab her own before she was completely gone.

"To-Tobi-!" She cried surprised for a split second before a pair of warm yearning lips enveloped her own in a passionate kiss.

Puling away the two locked eyes for a brief moment before the dark haired man tuned away as if her image was fire to his eyes. She must hate him now for what he did.

The small pitter patter of her footsteps echoed in his ear like drum beats breaking it tattered heart even more. She was gone. She had left him. Chances are he would never see her again.

Now what was left for him? What reason did he have to go on? His work? Before she came into his life and fit the hole in his heart, that was all he lived for; his work. Maybe that was all God had planed for him in this life. But if his work was all he had to live for…why was there a hole in his heart that needed to e filled.

He grabbed a nearby piece of silky white fabric and bitterly smiled when he discovered it was her dress from yesterday. Lifting it gently to his face he let her sweet essence in the form of a fragrance overtake his senses.

"Sakura chan…" He whimpered crumpling inwardly at his loss. "What n ironic fool I've become."

Hours trickled by and he continued to wallow in his misery. His eyes hallow and cold. Soon there after, he picked himself up, dropping the gown at his side, and made his way over to the still open door. Stepping past it he faintly remembered hearing the dull echo of it closing behind him and sealing off the place he used to love visiting. He would hate visiting it now.

His senses were dulled by sorrow so the soft pitter patter and released chakra went unnoticed until the source stopped it's self right in front of him.

Surprise was the strongest emotion next to heartbreak at the pink haired sight before him. "Sa-Sakura chan? Why are you back?" He managed to choke out.

Sakura huffed, shrugging her shoulders and passing her hands in front of her short pearl colored nightdress with restlessness. Her face was flushed and it looked like she was having trouble saying what she wanted to say. Finally her pale pink lips parted and she spoke.

"You're different. You're not possessive or controlling or even non-caring like all the other guys. You didn't lie when you said you loved me. You proved that to me when you let me go, when you gave me what I wanted most despite the pain it would bring you. Most girls would die for someone to care half as much as you do about me. It's so rare in the world to find someone that will truly love you the way you love me and it would be a terrible waist to throw it away."

The tall dark eyes man swallowed trying to control the quivering excitement in his voice as he spoke in reply to her statement. "What are you saying Sakura chan?"

Sakura huffed one again looking away with a darker blush creeping across her cheeks. "Words are useless to me," she mumbled making his heart drop.

"…Actions speak louder than words." She was in front of him in a second, standing on the tips of her toes in order to make her lips connect with his own.

-

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_"If you love something set it free, if it comes back it was meant to be."_

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AN:/ Done, oh yeah. I thought I wasn't going to make it in time. So sorry for the grammer errors and typos. (Deep breath) 

Okay this was in response to a contest by the oh so awesome in all ways possible Elli Cole. I had fun writing this but I think I'm going to bomb out on something in school since this took up most my time with twisting the plot and deleting half of it then having to rewrite it. I hope this came out okay with all the surgery it went through.

1. Tobi x Sakura  
**Things that should be included:**  
**b.** He/She has a secret that nobody else knew about.  
4. (The words:) breathe, sunshine, ironic. 

And I know you people are super busy and all but it would mean a whole lot to me if you would review.

So review please! Flames welcome.

ja ne lovely people


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